The small white lizard landed silently near the edge of the clearing.
For a moment, he simply watched.
The fox hadn't moved.
She sat beside the stream exactly where he had left her. Her brown fur stirred slightly in the breeze, and her turquoise eyes glowed faintly as her entire focus remained locked on the storage ring floating in front of her.
Thin strands of spiritual sense wrapped around it like invisible threads, slowly grinding against the stubborn soul imprint left behind by the Golden Core cultivator.
She didn't even glance at him.
The lizard's gaze shifted to the ground behind him.
The remains of the chameleon he had killed were still there, dark blood soaking into the soil.
Near the corpse lay the demonic beast's core.
He stepped forward, lowered his head, and picked it up with his maw.
Without hesitation—
He swallowed it.
A faint pulse of energy moved through his body as the core dissolved inside him, spiritual energy spreading through his meridians.
His golden eyes drifted back toward the fox.
She was still completely absorbed in her task.
Her ears hadn't even twitched.
*…She's still at it.*
The lizard watched her for a moment longer.
It didn't look like she would stop anytime soon.
Breaking a Golden Core cultivator's soul imprint was not something that happened quickly.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
The forest around them remained quiet.
But the lizard's gaze slowly turned toward the surrounding trees.
*If she keeps doing this…*
*Other beasts might come.*
A concentrated spiritual struggle like the one she was creating could easily attract curious predators.
Or opportunistic scavengers.
The lizard's pupils narrowed slightly.
Then he settled down beside the clearing.
His body grew still.
Moments later, it faded from sight.
Invisible.
Silent.
Watching.
A quiet stakeout.
If anything came near—
He would simply kill it.
And eat it.
---
The minutes stretched into an hour.
The stream continued its gentle flow.
Wind brushed softly through the trees.
Occasionally small animals moved through the distant undergrowth, but none of them approached the clearing.
No demonic beasts.
No wandering cultivators.
No predators drawn by the scent of blood.
Nothing.
The valley remained strangely calm.
Even after more than an hour—
Still nothing came.
The lizard remained motionless where he sat, golden eyes scanning the forest lazily.
Beside the stream—
The fox was still working.
Her turquoise eyes glowed brighter now as cracks slowly began forming in the stubborn soul imprint inside the ring.
But she didn't seem any closer to stopping.
The valley stayed quiet.
The stream murmured softly over smooth stones, and the faint scent of blood from the earlier hunt had already begun fading into the forest air.
For more than an hour, the small invisible white lizard had remained completely still at the edge of the clearing.
Watching.
Waiting.
Nothing came.
No curious beasts.
No wandering predators.
Only the soft rustling of leaves and the distant hum of insects filled the valley.
Then—
The fox finally **moved**.
Her turquoise eyes dimmed slightly as the concentrated glow around them faded. The thin strands of spiritual sense wrapped around the storage ring slowly withdrew.
The ring dropped softly onto the grass.
She exhaled a long breath.
"…Haaa."
Her ears twitched as she rolled her shoulders, clearly stiff from holding the same position for so long.
The small lizard's golden eyes shifted toward her.
She hadn't completely erased the imprint yet.
That much was obvious.
The faint golden runes inside the ring still flickered stubbornly, though the spiritual mark left by the Golden Core cultivator was now visibly weakened.
Cracked.
But not gone.
The fox flexed her paws slightly before muttering under her breath.
"Stubborn thing…"
Her tail flicked across the grass in mild irritation.
"I've already ground down most of it."
She glanced down at the ring again.
The imprint trembled weakly inside it, like a fading echo.
"…But a Golden Core soul imprint really doesn't want to die quietly."
She lifted the ring again, examining it carefully.
A faint grin slowly crept onto her face.
"Still…"
Her turquoise eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
"…it won't last much longer."
She finally glanced up—
And noticed the small white lizard sitting silently nearby.
Her ears perked slightly.
"Oh."
She tilted her head.
"You're back."
Her gaze drifted across the clearing, catching the faint lingering scent of another beast's blood.
"…And it looks like you kept yourself busy."
Her tail swayed lazily as she stretched.
"How long have you been sitting there watching me?"
The small white lizard did not answer immediately.
He remained curled neatly on the grass near the edge of the clearing. The faint wind around him stirred a few fallen leaves, but otherwise he looked like a quiet ornament beside the stream.
His golden eyes rested calmly on the fox.
"…A while."
The fox's ears twitched.
Her turquoise gaze shifted briefly toward the forest before returning to him again. She studied his expression for a moment before letting out a small huff.
"So you've just been sitting there watching me struggle with this stupid thing?"
Her tail flicked lightly behind her.
The lizard blinked once.
"You were busy."
The fox snorted.
"That's not the point."
She lifted the storage ring again, turning it slowly between her paws. The golden runes inside flickered weakly now, the soul imprint visibly fractured but still stubbornly clinging to the formation.
"Breaking a Golden Core imprint takes time."
Her voice carried mild irritation.
"If I rushed it, the ring's internal space might collapse."
She narrowed her eyes at the fading imprint.
"And that would destroy everything inside."
Her turquoise pupils gleamed faintly with greedy anticipation.
"…Which would be a tragedy."
The lizard's gaze returned to the ring.
He could feel the weakening soul imprint from where he sat. It was like a fading shadow clinging to the ring's core formation.
Almost gone.
But not quite.
The fox lowered the ring slightly and rolled her shoulders again.
"I've already crushed most of it."
She grinned.
"Just a little more pressure and it should break."
Her ears twitched again as she glanced around the clearing.
"Nothing came while I was working?"
The lizard shook his head slightly.
"No."
The fox seemed pleased by that.
"Good."
She stretched her front legs lazily before sitting upright again. The ring floated once more in front of her as thin strands of spiritual sense extended toward it.
The turquoise glow returned to her eyes.
"Then let's finish this."
Her spiritual sense tightened around the weakened imprint.
The ring trembled faintly.
Cracks of golden light spread across the stubborn soul mark.
The fox's grin widened slowly.
"…There you are."
The imprint flickered violently.
One more push—
And it would finally shatter.